The Gambia - Teaching in Makumbaya

Makumbaya is a lovely village located near a peaceful stretch of river between the large town of Brikama and Lamin.

Our volunteers can get involved in teaching English, Maths and PE at the Lower Basic school, but also assisting at the local nursery school.  They  also help in adult teaching as many local people welcome the chance to improve their English. So, enthusiastic volunteers looking for further work will find plenty to do!

Makumbaya Lower Basic School welcomes 614 pupils from 10 surrounding villages, aged between 7-12 years old.

Volunteers can teach their own classes, or work with another teacher or volunteer, depending on their preference. They can also assist in working with local teachers to try and encourage some more imaginative teaching methods.

The “Friends of Fatou” Nursery is an exciting new project for volunteers to get involved in. It was built in spring of 2008 with the supervision of a MondoChallenge volunteer and funding from the MondoChallenge Foundation. The nursery is set to open in September 2008 and to welcome 60 pupils from the village. But much needs to be done in order for the nursery to run successfully and sustainably. Professional teachers or people with teacher training experience are in urgent need for this project.

Interested? To find out about the next step to becoming a volunteer, read our application process.